Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Functional Threshold Power Test @ Home

So I was keen to see how my own performed Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test (based on the Training and Racing with a Power Meter book) would stack up against the one done at Peak Performance. Granted, the conditions are not even remotely the same with just being in the middle of the holidays, only two weeks sine the Peak test, having done my strength training in the morning, and coming from a long swim and strong run the day prior -- and the results show it. But nonetheless, interesting to see the results.

This is the protocol:

20 min warm-up

3 x 1 min at 100+ rpm with 1 min recovery

5 min recovery

5 min go-like-stink-balls-to-the-wall-all-out-effort

10 min recovery

20 min strong TT pace

10 min recovery / cool-down

Taking the average power from the 20 min (250W) and subtracting 5% = 237.5W

Let's be nice and call it 240W is my FTP based on this test.

And yes, I *think* I could have gone a little harder in the TT part but one gear harder (where I started the segment) and I would have really ground it and was not sure I could have kept it for the duration. So I geared down and upped the cadence (avg 93 rpm). Wish I had a gear in between...

Here now are the actual results:

Level

% of FTP

Power (W)

Peak Result

Typical

Interval Dur.

1 – Active Recovery

< 55

1 - 132

1 - 180

N/A

2 – Endurance

56 – 75

133 - 180

181 - 230

N/A

3 – Tempo

76 – 90

181 - 216

231 - 260

N/A

4 – Lactate Threshold

91 - 105

217 - 252

261 - 280

8 – 30 min

5 – VO2 Max

106 - 120

253 - 288

281 - 305

3 – 8 min

6 – Anaerobic Capacity

121 - 150

289 - 360

306 - 320

30 sec – 3 min

7 – Neuromuscular Pwr

N/A

N/A

N/A

< 30 sec

Peak is much higher in the FTP: 270 vs 240 watts. But interestingly, the 5 min all-out effort generated 337W average which is inline with the level 6 of this test but way higher than Peak's.

I guess I'll really have to perform the "Fatigue Profile Test" to make sense of this kind of distribution :-)